Saturday, February 4, 2012

[ZESTCaste] Maya’s white elephant down South

The southward thrust of the BSP has achieved modest success so far butthe state party chief is under a cloud, writes Imran KhanMuniyappa (centre) with BSP supporters

Flag-bearer Muniyappa (centre) with BSP supporters at a rally in theKarnataka capital

Photo: Bangalore news photos

THE KARNATAKA BSP President Marasandra Muniyappa is doing a Mayawatiin Bengaluru. He has built a white mansion named after his leader anda colony in the name of BSP founder Kanshi Ram. Unexceptional, exceptfor the fact that it is alleged he has done so by usurping landbelonging to poor Dalits. Not only is Muniyappa emulating his boss inthe amassing of personal property and building ostentatious memorialsto Dalit icons, he has been accused of cheating Dalits and grabbingtheir property. Fed up with inaction, the Karnataka High Courtrecently directed the home secretary, city police commissioner and thechief secretary to explain why Muniyappa has not been arrested so far.ALSO READ

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Muniyappa, 54, currently the state BSP president, was an unknownentity until the 2004 Assembly elections. Contesting from Satanurconstituency, his candidature had consolidated the constituency'sDalit vote bank in favour of the BSP. Although he lost the election,he managed to dent the Congress vote share, proving consequential inthe victory of the BJP.

According to his affidavit filed before the Election Commission, hedid not possess any land in 2004. Luck smiled on him in 2008 and he isnow rumoured to be worth Rs 500 crore. During a BSP conventionattended by Mayawati, he was made president of the state party.

In the words of former state president B Gopal, Muniyappa played thecaste card. Belonging to the Madiga (cobbler) caste, which forms 8percent of the state population, he seemed to be the ideal choice forthe post. Unlike the Holiyars (bonded labourers), the BSP had not beenable to rope in the complete support of the Madigas. Says Gopal, aHoliyar, "Mayawati thought since Holiyars were already consolidated bythe BSP, with Madiga consolidation, they could become a force toreckon with in the state.'' However, he adds, Mayawati does not knowthat Muniyappa has no real support base.

So far, 34 cases of land-grab, cheating, intimidation, attempt tomurder and extortion have been registered against him. His ire hasbeen directed mostly against his own community. And most of hisvictims have been poor, helpless Dalits from whom he has usurped land.And others who are not Dalits like V Shankar and Bashir Ahmed havebeen threatened with rape cases and SC/ST atrocities case if they dareto challenge him.

Some of the major cases against him are as follows:1. LAKSHMIPURA: Eleven acres in Bengaluru North taluk, Yeshwanthpur,Lakshmipura were originally allotted to five poor Dalit women. Underthe Prohibition of Transfer of Certain Land (PTCL) Act, 1978, landgiven to ST/SC cannot be sold or bought (even by other Dalits) withoutthe permission of the state government. But Muniyappa managed totransfer the land. He formed a layout in nine acres, naming it afterBSP founder Kanshi Ram. 'The Kanshi Ram Layout' — the streets of whichhave been named after other Dalit icons Jyotiba Phule, Sahu Maharajand Gautam Buddha — now mocks those whose condition they sought toimprove.

In the remaining two acres, Muniyappa constructed Mayawati WhiteHouse, and got it inaugurated by the UP CM herself. Gowramma andJayamma, now destitute, have got an injunction from the court. Butthey have paid a heavy price for taking legal recourse. On 6 January,Muniyappa and his henchmen made an attempt on the life of theirbrother Veeranna, 46. A shocked Veeranna told TEHELKA from his CityBowring Hospital bed, "Being a Dalit leader, Muniyappa should havebeen working for the upliftment of Dalits, but he has become theoppressor." A case has been registered at Hebbal against Muniyappa,his son Sandeep and a few others. Muniyappa told TEHELKA the layoutand his house have been built on property bought by him, and he haslegal papers to back it up. He said neither he nor any of his partymembers attacked Veeranna.

2. NEW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LAND CASE: Thirty acres belonging toDalit families, handed over to them through the PTCL Act by the stategovernment, have been allegedly sold by Muniyappa. This 30-acregranite land is said to have fetched him close to Rs 60 crore. A casehas been registered against him at the Kodihalli police station,Bengaluru.

'Muniyappa should be working for the uplift of Dalits. But he hasbecome the oppressor,' says Veeranna

3. V SHANKAR LAND CASE: Eyeing a 10,000 sq ft plot in the heart of thecity, Muniyappa allegedly got his henchman Domlur V Muniswamy tothreaten former director of Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) VShankar, 49. Shankar approached the Indiranagar police in 2009, evenconfessing that he paid Rs 5 lakh to Muniswamy to reach a compromise.But the threats continued unabated. Shankar also alleges that when hebrought the matter to Ulsoor Division Law Officer Venkataramanappa,Muniyappa threatened him in front of the officer, warning that falserape cases and cases under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Actwould be filed against him.

4. DODDABALLAPUR LAND CASE: Around 200 acres of land near Anjanmurthylayout in Bengaluru belonging to several Dalit families have beenacquired by Muniyappa through forged agreements. The landowners havenow filed a case against him, and are preparing to approach the courtto get their land back.

5. DODDABALLAPUR STONE QUARRY CASE: In another cheating case,Muniyappa had sub-leased a stone quarry lease to one Syed Bashir Ahmedin 2011, for which he took an advance of Rs 7 lakh. However, the leaselapsed and due to environmental concerns further permission forquarrying was denied. Muniyappa threatened to shoot Ahmed with therifle of the gunman provided to him by the government. A case ofcheating and criminal intimidation (under sections 420 and 506 of theIPC) has been registered against him by the Thalaghat Pura Police ofRamnagaram district. Muniyappa admits that he sub-leased his stonequarry lease when it was about to expire. But he says Ahmed knew aboutthis at the time of signing the agreement.

THERE ARE other cases of alleged land-grab and extortion registeredagainst Muniyappa: the Nagadahalli land case, Rajankunte HousingCorporation case and Byrasandra land case.

Dalits who lost their land have now come under the banner of DVSS —Dalitarinda Dalitara Shoshana Virodhi Samithi — a forum against Dalitoppression. In a case filed by them, the high court has asked the homesecretary, city police commissioner and chief secretary to givereasons why this man, despite having a dozen cases registered againsthim, has managed to hood-wink the law.

"I vaguely recall references like that being made but am not in aposition to tell you right now," said Home Secretary, RH Auradhkar,when asked about these cases. City Police Commissioner Jyothi PrakashMirji, however, remembers the details. "We took action against him(Muniyappa) earlier," he says. "But he got bail. We will do whateverthe court directs us to."

When contacted, the BSP President said all the cases against him arepolitically motivated, and have been filed at the behest of Congressleader and MoS in the Railways KH Muniyappa, a Madiga Dalit. Since the2004 Assembly poll, he said, the Congress party has lost 42 seatsbecause of the BSP and has been able to win only 68 seats in the Houseof 224.